Semantic quibbles on the "1992 consensus" are not Beijing's primary design in meeting with opposition leaders, an expert on cross-strait affairs said yesterday.
"Beijing is not overly concerned about [these] communiques [with opposition leaders], because ultimately it has to be acceptable to the government," said Chang Wu-ueh (張五岳), professor of China Studies at Tamkang University, suggesting that Beijing was more interested in using the opportunity to clarify its political stance on Taiwan.
Chang was responding to People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) introduction yesterday of the notion of "two sides on each side of the Strait, one China" to replace the so-called "1992 consensus." Soong put forth the notion in a communique issued after a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (宋楚瑜).
Beijing's other primary motivation in extending invitations to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
He expressed doubt over whether Soong's semantic contribution to the debate on the existence or not of a "1992 consensus" could make much headway in resolving the cross-strait stalemate.
"This might seem like a step in the wrong direction for the pan-green political camp," Chang said.
According to the pan-blue camp, the "1992 consensus" refers to an agreement on the "one China" principle, with each side having its own interpretation. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) does not acknowledge the consensus, saying the notion was fabricated in 2000 by then Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) head Su Chi (蘇起).
Beijing insists that negotiations are possible only if both sides recognize the "1992 consensus" and the "one China" principle.
The notion refers to oral statements that negotiators of the semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, had issued regarding the "one China" formula at the conclusion of a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992. The DPP has denied that a consensus was reached, but suggested last October that the 1992 meeting could serve as the basis for future negotiation, indicating that the meeting was a mark of both parties' willingness to put aside political differences.
Chang said that, despite the focus that has been placed on Soong's promise to redefine the "1992 consensus," Beijing has its eye on wooing the Taiwanese audiences tuning in to live coverage of Hu and Soong's meeting.
"Beijing is using this meeting to publicize its stance on Taipei," Chang said, indicating that Beijing had put its best foot forward, giving opposition leaders high-profile receptions and repeating claims that it is committed to peace.
Chang said that Beijing has been successful in this tactic and warned that the government had to wake up to the new strategies being employed by its opponent.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is suspending retaliation measures against South Korea that were set to take effect tomorrow, after Seoul said it is updating its e-arrival system, MOFA said today. The measures were to be a new round of retaliation after Taiwan on March 1 changed South Korea's designation on government-issued alien resident certificates held by South Korean nationals to "South Korea” from the "Republic of Korea," the country’s official name. The move came after months of protests to Seoul over its listing of Taiwan as "China (Taiwan)" in dropdown menus on its new online immigration entry system. MOFA last week
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a bill to enhance cooperation with Taiwan on drone development and to reduce reliance on supply chains linked to China. The proposed Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026 was introduced by Republican US senators Ted Cruz and John Curtis, and Democratic US senators Jeff Merkley and Andy Kim. The legislation seeks to ease constraints on Taiwan-US cooperation in uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), including dependence on China-sourced components, limited access to capital and regulatory barriers under US export controls, a news release issued by Cruz on Wednesday said. The bill would establish a "Blue UAS
RSS